


like forget-me-nots in a shady garden

by abettafish



Category: DreamSMP, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Animal Transformation, Gen, Memory Loss, Minecraft Style, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Suicidal Thoughts, Wolf!Dream, wolf dream
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-18 11:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28617477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/abettafish/pseuds/abettafish
Summary: His mind fights past the pain to become hyperaware of his body. None of it feels right, but that isn’t because of the constant ache happening in his every joint. No. His fingers feel shorter, palms less smooth, chest and back have gained too much length, his legs bend the wrong way –This isn’t his body.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 23
Kudos: 156





	like forget-me-nots in a shady garden

**Author's Note:**

> i started this on the first day of tommy's exile, so there are going to be a lot of things different. i was inspired by the video where dream is george's dog and thought - how can i make this sad and include my need for sbi in everything? this'll be two chapters (hopefully), because i felt like dropping like 10 - 15k words for one chapter was a lot haha.

**Dream joined the game.**

He hits the ground with a breath-stealing crash. He thrashes as a wave of pain curls around his body like a hateful lover. Dream’s lungs struggle to pull in air with gut-wrenching gasps. He shifts and desperately tries to find purchase on something to ground himself. The earth was rough against his skin and scraps against his _bones_ –

He didn’t understand what was _happening_ –

Why did everything _hurt_ –

He _just_ joined the server –

Where was the _danger_ –

_Why did it hurt –_

A _scream_ rips from his throat, using up the first ball of air he has managed to expand his lungs with. A high-pitched whine is what the scream dies off into and he finds his eyes struggling to stay open in the hazy fog that’s dragging him into the dark world of unconsciousness. He opens his mouth to _beg_ because maybe someone is nearby and heard his scream and can _help him_ –

But nothing leaves except another whine.

Words refuse to aid him; forming behind his teeth and escaping before his lips can form the words. A short distance away he hears rustling and – no, that isn’t right. He was in the community house when he’d logged off. His gaze struggles to focus on his surroundings with the steady pain wracking his body beating an agonizing rhythm behind his eyes. It’s a small clearing surrounded sparsely by trees. Past that he can see a sandy beach connecting the ocean to the edge of the forest. A small, red poppy kisses his face and gently caresses his cheek with the wind as if it’s trying to soothe the pain.

Voices announce the arrival of multiple people, whose footsteps send vibrations through the earth, causing more discomfort to Dream’s body. At least, maybe, they could _help_ him.

_Someone help –_

The words ghost through his mouth once more and laugh as they dance away from him. He doesn’t understand why his voice isn’t working – it doesn’t seem to care about his distress or confusion, left to writhe in the dirt like a dying _dog._

“It’s a wolf,” A cracking voice says and Dream feels shock zap his mind because that’s _Wilbur’s_ voice. Wilbur, who is _dead –_

“What’s wrong with it?” Tommy’s familiar pitch is more somber than he remembers. Dream strains to look at the pair. Tommy is standing there with an axe in his hands; a recognizable trench coat over his shoulders and a bag full of wood resting on his back. Next to him _is_ Wilbur, skin a sickly grey and an oversized yellow sweater with the collar-stained red eating his figure. A guitar is snuggly fit against his shoulders.

“Maybe it’s dying,” Wilbur suggests.

_It’s? Dying? He’s not –_

“It’s lookin’ at us. So, still alive. We should help it,” Tommy strides forward with confidence and Dream feels his body react instantly with something akin to _fear_ with the way he recoils. Tommy’s steps falter and he pulls his hands up, palms out.

“Hey, hey –” His voice is soft, like he’s trying to soothe a child, “It’s okay! We’re not gonna hurt you.”

“Be careful, please,” Wilbur warns the younger boy. Tommy rolls his eyes and his mouth curls sharply with a sneer.

“Whatever, Ghostbur,” He reaches forward to touch Dream anyhow. It’s a soothing hand that runs from his shoulder blade down his back. The fur along it parts for the younger boy’s finger-tips, leaving trails down Dream’s spine. _What –_

His mind fights past the pain to become hyperaware of his body. None of it feels right, but that isn’t because of the constant ache happening in his every joint. _No_. His fingers feel shorter, palms less smooth, chest and back have gained too much length, his legs bend the wrong way –

_This isn’t his body._

It’s the last though he receives before his body finally gives up the fight.

That leaves Tommy to drag the wolf’s unconscious form back to his new base he’s (and Wilbur, but with ghostly fingers it’s been slow moving) built up in exile. Wilbur fretting after him the entire way because this is still a wild animal and Tommy doesn’t have any bones to tame it with yet. Tommy fights him about it, saying if it’s gonna eat them then so be it, but he really doesn’t think so.

He gathers and arranges hay on the ground in his tent and lays a moth-bitten blanket over it. He gently deposits the wolf down with an exhausted huff. Dumb dog was pretty big. Maybe he’d gather bones from burning skeletons tomorrow morning as easy pickings, but for right now, as the sunset dips along the ocean’s horizon, he felt the day weighing on him more and more. 

His exile happened barely a week ago. He’s only heard from Techno, who showed up just to laugh at him. _Theseus,_ he called him – then pointed out his lack of shoes so his older brother kind of ruined the mood. Whatever. He had Wilbur with him…even if no one else could see him. _Techno_ only believed Tommy after Wilbur had proved his poltergeist status by knocking some stuff over and pushing his twin brother. Even then, Tommy still thinks maybe Techno doesn’t quite believe it was real.

_He isn’t crazy._

Tommy sits down on his bed before sighing and easing down onto his side. His back aches from mining all day, his throat dry and scratchy from the dust he breathed in. He just –

He wishes someone else was here to help him. Tommy’s gaze lands on the sleeping wolf. It was peculiar, honestly. He’d been attracted to the noise because he thought he heard a _person_ screaming, but when he arrived it was just a wolf laying in the grass. Wilbur was nice enough company, but his touch was like someone’s cold breath and it washed over his skin like water. A good hug wasn’t something Wilbur has managed in a long, long time. Not that he _remembers._

Tomorrow, he’d get up early and collect bones and tame the wolf. Surely, it’d be thankful he’d saved it?

The morning came with an over-cast sky and small droplets making music on the roof. Dream found the small noises easing him into wakefulness with a gentleness his throbbing brain desperately needed. Whatever he was laying on was lumpy, warm but uncomfortable. His eyes fluttered open slowly, taking in the scenery. The white walls of a tent hang over him and the bed adjacent to him is ruffled with use. Next to him is an Enderchest with the latch undone and the lid thrown open.

This certainly wasn’t the clearing he’d passed out in. Tommy must have dragged him here after he’d lost consciousness. That was nice of him, considering he –

Considering he – ?

_He –_

The tent flap opens with a sharp noise that startles Dream and in walks the subject of his thoughts. Tommy is carrying a lump of white bones in his arms. His shirt is damp from the sprinkle of water falling from the sky, but Tommy has a smile on his face. When his eyes land on Dream, they light up.

“You’re awake!” He abandons the pack on his back onto his bed, where it bounces with the springs. Dream frowns, as well as this new mouth will allow him. Ah, that’s right, he had to unpack all of _that_. Tommy’s rambling to him can be background noise for it.

( _“You have no idea how hard it was to get all these bones! Never can have enough, with how picky you guys can be sometimes. Anyways – ”_ )

It must be a glitch in the server. It’s not one he has ever heard of, but Dream has been a man of firsts before. Maybe if he just communicates with the server as an admin, he can get it fixed. Mentally, he lets the chat-box appear. It’s only visible to him, so he doesn’t need to worry about Tommy seeing it. The words appear as he thinks them and –

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

_What?_ He tries again.

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

No – how is this _possible_? He’s the _admin_ of the server! The panic he feels makes him shoot up into a sitting position. Tommy jolts away from him, but Dream is too focused on _this_. The agitation and horror quickly mounting in his chest and threatening to spill over. He slams more commands in, hoping that _one_ will go through – 

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

**< Status: Tamed. Owner: TommyInnit.>**

Something settles around his neck and it makes him freeze with wide eyes. His mind is in a haze of perturbation, letting nothing speak louder and slamming any rational thoughts down with a brutal efficiency.

“Whoa! Why’s it green? Isn’t the default supposed to be red?” Tommy’s surprise is evident as he twists the collar to inspect it better, “Maybe Dream changed the default color. Sounds like something the narcissistic bastard would do.”

Dream needs to go, to get out of here. He can log out –

**< Error. Entity does not have these permissions.>**

A sick feeling curdles his gut. No, _no!_ He stands on four legs – _wrong, he only has two, he only wants two!_ – and sprints from the tent. The rain has picked up since Tommy’s return and the sky is a lurid grey now, but Dream finds himself speeding away –

Something brushes against every part of his body delicately, like finger tips dragging against his skin and gently pulling back on his limbs, his back, his face, his cheeks and he blinks. His eyes open to the sight of a white tent. What, no! He takes off again in the opposite direction. He gets maybe a hundred blocks away from the tent before the same ghostly feeling drags him back to the campsite. 

_( <Status: Tamed. Owner: TommyInnit.>)_

He can’t leave Tommy’s vicinity. Tommy is his owner and tamed wolves teleport to their owners. _He can’t leave._

Tommy appears in the entrance of the tent, confusion making the rounds across his face. He’s saying something but all Dream hears is the rain in his ears. It soaks his pelt through and Dream can feel a chill seeping into his skin from the cold water. 

His wolf is crazy, Tommy decides. Aren’t tamed wolves normally supposed to act, he doesn’t know, cuddly? Loving? Ready to give him admiration? This one looks like it’s got anxiety.

He would choose the fucked up one, huh?

“Are you going to come in?” He asks the animal. It ignores him in favor of staring into the distance _harder_. He collects air in his cheeks and lets it out with a very becoming fart noise. _Well_ … He leaves the flap to the tent open and opts to change out of his damp shirt for the time being. The wolf will come around eventually; it’s not like it had anywhere to go. Maybe it doesn’t like him ( _But everyone likes him –)._ Nonsense, it hasn’t even gotten to know him!

“Tommy, what’d you do to the dog?” His brother’s raspy voice startles him.

“Jeez, Ghostbur! Give me a warning next time!” Tommy hisses.

“Because it’s out in the rain looking traumatized and they don’t normally look like that –” Wilbur glosses over the yelling in favor of pointing out towards the animal sitting in revelation.

“I don’t know, all I did was tame it so far and then it ran out of the tent. Now, it won’t come back in.”

“Huh.”

They both gaze out at the wolf, who had taken up pacing instead of the statue-esque pose before that.

“What’re you gonna name him?” Wilbur croaks.

“At this point? Dumbo is sounds fitting.”

“That’s not very nice, Tommy,” Wilbur chides.

“Whatever.” Tommy throws the extra bones into his chest before he tucks his arms into Wilbur’s old trench coat. Wilbur doesn’t know it was his or he wouldn’t be letting Tommy wear it. His loss, huh? Maybe he shouldn’t have gone off and _died –_

The tent ruffles as something brushes against it. The wolf slowly mopes back inside and lays down on the hay pile with a pitiful huff. Wilbur has faded back into invisibility, so Tommy doesn’t know whether he’s gone or simply lurking. He frowns nonetheless.

“Sorry if I like, I dunno, ruined your day or something,” Tommy tells it. It looks at him with dulling green eyes and, man, if that doesn’t make Tommy feel like this is all his fault. He didn’t even do anything! That really is all it takes for him to upset people nowadays, huh? _Typical_. He clicks his tongue and curls up on his bed, knees hugged to his chest and coat draping over his lanky form.

“I just wanted a friend, I guess,” He admits quietly. The wolf side-stares at him with a spark of something in its face and Tommy takes that as a cue that it’s listening.

“I don’t have many of those anymore. One became a terrorist to my nation, another one _died_ , and the one I thought I could truly rely on betrayed me.” He rubs his palm against his eye, wiping away a bit of wetness, “and now I’m stuck here because I got exiled! And for what? Some property damage that got fixed the next day?”

He looks to the wolf; whose ears have droop back some. He rolls his eyes, “Obviously not, c’mon, Dream isn’t that petty. I mean – He is, but he isn’t _stupid_. I’m the only one who sticks up to him, okay? And finally, _finally_ , he had nothing on me, or well, I thought. I didn’t think he’d used Tubbo against me. Maybe I just thought our friendship could handle at least that.”

Tommy watches the wolf approach the bed, looking less like it’s experiencing a thousand-yard stare due to some unknown inner trauma, and more like it’s actually listening to every word. It’s kind of creepy and he doesn’t know which one he prefers. He keeps talking anyhow.

“You see, I had these discs – they’re very important, okay? Don’t give me that look, they just are! And I had to trade them away to get freedom for L’Manburg – that’s the nation I helped start – and Tubbo, my best friend, who I can trust! My Tubbo. I gave him one…” Tommy frowns and he ignores the crack his voice makes because who is listening besides for this dog and the wind?

“I gave him one because it was supposed to be a symbol of our friendship, right? Like, if he can keep my disc safe then I’d always have a reason to trust him. Except, he told me they don’t matter. I care about L’Manburg, okay, I do, but I care about these discs way more because they stand for things that are important to me. And he told me they didn’t matter. Called me _selfish_.” Tommy’s voice drops into a bitter note, angry at the memories.

“After everything I’d done for them and that country, I think I’d deserve a little selfishness.”

His eyes ache, from exhaustion and the tears building up. He doesn’t want to cry – he has so many times already and he was tired of shedding tears. He can’t help it, though.

Thunder rolls in the distance. The boy is slouched on the edge of the bed, arms wrapped around his sides. It’s a quiet noise at first, starting small and inconspicuous before the sniffles and gentle sobs become too loud to ignore. Tommy moves his hand up to cover his face, but the other one finds the head of the wolf, who has shimmied their way onto the bed next to him.

“Gods, I’m so _stupid_.”

The wolf lets out a low whine. In protest? Tommy doesn’t know but the warm body invites him to submit to the heavy weights attached to his every muscle. He slides down onto the bed, curled against his new pet and falls into sleep as the rain starts to pour heavy. 

The rain stops in the early afternoon. Dream watches the last few drops hit the ground from the entrance of the tent. With a calmer mind, he has slowly filtered through his options: he can’t log out, he can’t use admin commands, he tried to whisper at George and Sapnap earlier and got another error message. He can’t walk more than a few tens of blocks from Tommy without being teleported back. It’s like the sever shoved him into the body of a wolf with all the parameters of one, and for all intents and purposes, that _is_ what happened.

He… doesn’t know what to do. Short of walking to the beach and writing a message for Tommy in the sand, there isn’t anything he can do. Dream doesn’t like the helpless feeling that grows in his gut. He’ll figure something out. He always does… 

Tommy, geared up with the little bit of gear he has, beckons him gently and Dream finds his legs compelled to follow. They spend a few hours in a mine, with Tommy fighting off the occasional mob. Dream helps where he can, but he is clumsy with his only weapon being his new, shiny canines.

They have one close call – Tommy mining away a portion of wall and releasing a red-hot danger onto himself. He yelps and fumbles with his tools, giving the lava enough time to seep forward. Dream shoots to attention when he hears Tommy give a pained yell and stumble backwards. Dream is quick to knock the boy further back, but in doing so it jostles the bag Tommy had been using to collect the precious metals from the cave. It falls to the ground.

The lava takes no mercy on the soft cloth bag, eating away at it and the contents. Tommy’s hard work gone in seconds due to an unforeseeable accident. Tommy lets out a series of explicit words and buries his face into his hand. One of which is an angry red, welts appearing where the lava had gotten too close to his vulnerable skin.

Dream’s ear flip back at the angry tone Tommy takes as he curses out the lava. He feels slightly responsible for the loss of the ores. He just panicked – Tommy only had one life left on this server. His exile was meant to be that, an exile. It wasn’t supposed to be his death as well. If he had died here, Tommy would have been sent back to The Hub and no longer allowed on the Dream SMP. He would have had to find another server to call home. It would have been the last time he’d see any of the other in a survival world for a long, long time.

Servers were hard to explain, as you could exist on multiple non-survival multiplayer servers, but only _one_ SMP at a time. Something about the code not being able to handle so many instances of oneself at a given moment. Its why Dream was slow to adding members, they had to be committed to a new home. Tommy lets out his signature sigh, the one that signals he’s accepted whatever the world has dealt him.

“Let’s go. I’m done for today.”

_I’m sorry, Tommy –_

A long whine leaves his mouth instead. Tommy gives him a short pat on the head with his uninjured hand.

“It’s okay,” His voice says it isn’t, “We’ll try again tomorrow.”

Dream is worried with Tommy’s track record there won’t _be_ a tomorrow.

They exit the cave with melancholy biting at their heels. The trek back to the tent isn’t a long one, but nightfall is coming and mob rates have risen. The beach is a good neutral place to take back with little obstacles to block any dangers. So, when a creeper lays its eye on them and makes the choice for today to be its last, Dream lets out a growl to alert Tommy to the four-legged creature ambling towards then with purpose. The exiled boy turns to it and readies his axe.

“Sit,” The command rings out and Dream has a new sensation overtake his body. His body is forced down and when he tries to stand, he simply cannot. Dream _hates_ it with a passion, but he understands that Tommy wouldn’t want him to attack after the first hit and cause the green monster to explode because he is too close to it. Tommy strides forward and readies himself to make the first strike. 

Then he stops. The creeper moves closer.

There’s a faraway look on Tommy’s face. The creeper moves closer. 

Tommy lowers his axe. _The creeper moves closer._

 _Tommy! –_ Dream barks, loud and confused. What is he doing?

**_Tommy doesn’t move._ ** _The creeper starts to **sizzle.**_

Dream’s body jerks, but he stays planted firmly on the ground. His barks become frantic and it mixes with fearful whines. _Tommy, move! Fucking move!_

The sound of the soon to detonate Creeper covers up the splash of water, like a stick being dragged through it roughly. A whoosh and suddenly a figure lands in front of Tommy. A shield drops down and the explosion rocks the earth. As the dust and sand settles, Dream feels relief at seeing Tommy, unharmed. However –

“Are you stupid or just suicidal?” Technoblade sounds furious. Tommy recoils from the accusation and Dream doesn’t blame him. It’s rare that the monotone man speaks with such an angry inflection. It’s a good indicator that you’ve made an irreparable mistake. Techno, holding the shield that saved Tommy’s life and the trident that got him there in time, pockets both items into his inventory. Tommy hasn’t uttered out a response yet, in favor of shrinking under the boiling gaze.

“Answer me, Tommy!” Techno hisses. Tommy wipes his hand, the bad one, across his nose as he avoids eye contact with his brother.

“Why’re you here. Go away,” Tommy mutters.

“ _No,_ ” Techno’s stern voice catches the younger off guard, “I came here to check on you and just find you trying to kill yourself and –”

Techno snatches Tommy’s arm to lift his hand for inspection, “You’re hurt.”

“And that’s none of your business!” Tommy spits.

“Unfortunately, it is,” Techno retorts. He tugs Tommy forward, “Come on, I’ll patch you up and we will _discuss_ this.”

The two brothers move forward with Tommy cussing at Techno the entire way. Dream moves to follow but his haunches pull him back down forcefully. Tommy hasn’t told him he could stand –

_Wait! Tommy! Let me up!_

A bark calls after the two, but their arguing drowns him out. Panic surges up in his legs and chest, and exits as a desperate whine.

_Please –_

They don’t stop and Dream has to sit there as their voices fade out. He gets the horrible premonition that the two of them won’t be back for a while. He tries to even his breathing, but it’s hard. He doesn’t want to be alone out here – 

“You’re not normal, are you?” Wilbur’s unsure tone usurps the silence. Dream’s eyes flick over to him, unimpressed with the ghost. Wilbur still existing in any compacity on the server was an enigma. One Dream would surely look into after all this was sorted. _If_ it ever got sorted.

 _And you’re supposed to be dead._ Dream rolls his eyes.

“I am dead.” Despite the crack, his voice is sure. Dream snaps to attention, wide eyes locking back to Wilbur’s sad, grey form.

 _He can hear me?_

“You’re quite loud,” Wilbur tells him.

 _Wilbur, it’s Dream!_ An excited yip leaves him, because this is a break through. This could be his first step to getting back into his normal body. Even if Wilbur is a flaky, incorporeal being with poor memories and the attention span of a toddler.

“My memory isn’t that great, but Dream is a person. You’re a _very_ silly dog.” Wilbur’s voice has a playful tune to it, even if the word he’s saying are disbelieving.

_Wilbur - !_

“I believe you, Dream!” Wilbur laughs, “What other dog would be able to talk? How did you get like this?” 

Dream shrugs his shoulders. _I logged in and it was like getting hit with a minecart. Then you and Tommy come out and I’m passing out. I can’t do any commands or log out. I’ve just been trying to figure out what to do._

“I could go get Sapnap or George for you?” Wilbur suggests.

Dream lights up. _That would be perfect!_

“Okay! I’ll go do that!” Wilbur is gone with a gust of wind and it startles Dream.

_Wilbur, no, wait! Get Tommy to let me up first!_

But nothing responds, the only sound he can hear is the shuffling of nighttime mobs as the sun slowly drops beneath the horizon. A bubbling feeling of loneliness – of _helplessness –_ stirring his chest. He slowly sinks into the cold sand to wait. He just hopes it isn’t a long time. He won’t admit to the small, crying noise that leaves him and there is no one around to hear it.

Dream lays there for a long time. The sand around him turns dewy and chills his skin. The water gets dangerously close to him as the tide rises, but it only ghosts against his limbs for now. His fur only starts to warm as the sun rises and lays it rays gently across his body. He absentmindedly watches as skeletons and zombies start to burn; the few smart ones that retreat to the safety of the shadows under the trees idle patiently for a target to come by.

None come.

Tommy doesn’t realize how accustom he’d grown to his furry companion until long after Techno departs back to his base as the sun sets. 

( _“I’ll be coming back, and you better be alive when I do.”_

_“Fuck off.”)_

His brother never specified when he would be returning, but he supposed it would be a few days. Tommy spent most of his time lying in bed, wondering when Dream – or anyone from L’Manburg would come to visit him. Wilbur hadn’t even shown back up since he’d watched him drag that wolf back –

Tommy jolts up right. He left his dog on the beach. A guilty feeling twists his insides like a taught rope. He is up and jogging back to where Techno had saved him the night before. Leaving a pet sat somewhere for days on end wasn’t abnormal, as once they’re tamed, they operate under a different set of rules than a normal wolf, but he got the distinct, horrible feeling that this time was different.

The wolf’s white form is visible from where it lays, curled around itself as the waves wash up to encompass its spot in the sand. Each time, it flinches violently and tries in vain to keep its face from being bombarded by the salty water.

“Up! Up! Stand!” Tommy yells. He can see the moment its body relaxes and is released from the command. It doesn’t move from the spot, however. It doesn’t even look at him as he approaches with tears in his eyes and shaking hands. His knees hit the wet sand beside it and he isn’t sure he should touch his pet – he doesn’t deserve it. 

“I-I’m sorry,” He tells it with a bubble in his throat and fat tears dripping off his cheeks, “I’m _sorry._ It was an accident. I d-didn’t mean too. It won’t happen a-again.”

He’s blubbering and he knows he would be terribly embarrassed if anyone was seeing him like this. He tries to wipe the tears away, but the hopeless guilt making his mind a mess only causes an endless amount to keep pouring out. Tommy feels a weight enter his lap and jolts with a start. His pet has finally come out of the protective ball to lay its damp face on his thighs. It lets out a sad, longing whine.

With trembling hands and tears still falling, he curls over the wolf protectively.

“ _I’m sorry_ ,” He sniffles. They stay like for a long while, and the tide is kind enough to leave them alone.

When they get up to leave, Tommy is equally as wet and the sun is starting to peak over the horizon. His body aches as he stretches and he brushes sleep from puffy eyes. It’s a quiet trek back to his base and when they get there, he sets up a small campfire to try and cultivate some warmth for him and the wolf. When the fire is substantial enough, he cooks some food for him and his pet.

Tommy gently shakes the animal awake from where it’s asleep on his bed and presents it with the food. It accepts it happily and while it eats, Tommy prepares his own plate.

He doesn’t expect to get company.

Dream is idling between wakefulness and sleep. He’s never felt this exhausted before, but he supposes being lightly water boarded by the ocean does that. So, he watches Tommy wander around the base, setting up chests and having a particularly frustrating time with shaved logs.

He can’t pinpoint why Tommy having _stuff_ bothers him. He can’t remember what it was he would do when he’d come here –

Had he ever come here? Surely… He _brought_ Tommy here, didn’t he? Why did he do that?

“Tommy!” A voice yells, catching both the habitant’s attention. Dream feels a growl rumble in his chest at the two figures approaching them. Tommy shushes him, but Dream takes up post next to the boy anyhow.

He doesn’t recognize the two, so they might be threats, surely his owner knows that?

They both have fancy netherite armor on, but their little quirks set them apart distinctly. One has a white bandana wrapped around his head, while the other is equipped with goggle-esque glasses. They stop a few feet in front of them, most likely put off by the mean look Dream is giving them.

“Enjoying exile?” The bandana one asks. Tommy scowls, so Dream does as well.

“Sure am, Sap, sure am,” Tommy goes back to messing with the shaved wood. It’s kind of ugly, Dream thinks.

“Well…” The other one trails in, “We came wondering if you’d seen Dream?”

A furred head tilts to the side, confused and interested in all the same moment. _He’s_ _Dream_.

He doesn’t know these people, why would they be looking for him? He doesn’t…

Right?

He _doesn’t_ –

“Can’t say I have, no, he said he’d come to visit me but I haven’t seen him in almost a week,” Tommy replies.

“Yeah, neither have we,” The two stranger’s frown at each other. Tommy stops what is doing to give them a quizzical look.

“You haven’t?” He questions. They shake their heads.

Dream wants to point out that he is _right here_ but since he **doesn’t know these people,** he keeps quiet. Tommy obviously doesn’t mind them and if they start anything, Dream can protect him.

That’s what he was here too do, isn’t it?

“Didn’t that message say he was here?” The goggled one asks quietly.

“Yeah, it did. _Well_ , thanks anyways, Tommy,” _Sap_ tugs on his companion’s arm, motioning for them to head back the way they came, “We’re gonna look for him elsewhere. See ya.”

Tommy scrambles to drop what he is doing, setting aside the log he is holding as the two start back to the Nether portal. Dream takes his sweet time in getting up. He stretches his limbs slowly and with a yawn that shows off his sharp canines. Tommy is briskly scurrying after the two other men. Dream keeps pace behind his owner, but only close enough that he isn’t be perpetually teleported after him to stay within the range.

“He’s just gone?” Tommy pries. The two don’t falter in their steps, but Sap looks back to respond.

“Not anywhere we can find, but he’s logged in.” They, Tommy included, step into the purple portal – the wub of it activating is compelling enough to make Dream put a bit of pep in his step to catch up. He doesn’t want to be stuck on this side without Tommy. A cold chill racks his spine like the breath of a ghost, haunting and unstoppable.

He doesn’t want to be left alone again. 

Dream makes it into the portal just as it sends its passengers through. As a mob, he is instantly transported after them.

“ – private message?” Tommy’s voice is confused, bordering on concern. It’s a terrible sound. Dream is swift to catch Tommy, who places a hand on Dream’s head as he falls into step with him.

“I tried, George tired, Punz tried, Bad tried, everyone tried. He isn’t responding.” Sap says as the steps onto a flimsy looking stone bridge that connects two land masses over the lava. The Nether is a hot, smothering place. Its uses are overwhelmingly uncountable, but Dream doesn’t really like it and behind his mask it’s just double the amount of heat.

… _Mask?_ He didn’t wear a mask –

“It’s not like him,” George frowns. Tommy nods his head in agreeance. Dream get the impression that he should as well, but a little part of him is saying he isn’t as good at it as these people seem to think. Adequate, maybe.

They come to a stop in front of Nether portal surrounded by chests and dark bricks. Tommy halts in the entry way, while the other two keep forward. George goes through first, but Sapnap stops to look back at Tommy.

“I would say I’ll let you know if we find him, but I probs won’t,” He comments. Tommy snorts.

“Yeah, probably not,” He confirms. Sapnap gives the younger boy a small salute before his body is consumed by purple. It’s a few moments before Tommy moves and when he does its just to the edge of the path. He stares down into the lava and Dream pulls up close besides him.

Tommy stares for a bit too long, making an uncomfortable curl form along Dream’s back.

He grabs Tommy’s hand in his teeth and tugs, dragging him back from the edge. Tommy stumbles, pulled from deep in his thoughts. He looks down at Dream with wide, surprised eyes and meets the fierce ones staring back up at him. He huffs, a small smile pulling his lips.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry. Let’s go,” Tommy tells him. Dream grunts and leads the boy back into exile, a sense of Déjà vu following him like a foggy memory the entire way.


End file.
